


The Road to Damascus

by Sans_Virtuosity



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: A trail of sticky notes, And lots of reminiscing, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gladion in a suit, Love Epiphany, Misinterpreted Romance Novel Cliche, Misunderstandings and Surprises on all sides, Past Unrequited Love mention, Romance, Slow realization, Ten Years Later, WHAT IS THE CORRECT SHIP NAME FOR THIS PAIRING MY CROPS ARE DYING, lonashipping, lunaredgeshipping, mahinashipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2018-12-23 07:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11984784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sans_Virtuosity/pseuds/Sans_Virtuosity
Summary: Moon leaves a trail of sticky notes for Gladion to follow, like something out of a romance novel.Gladion is concerned. Not by the gesture, but by the fact that he doesn't hate it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This three-chapter fic (EDIT: Did I say three? I meant five) takes place about ten years after Moon becomes the Champion of Alola, making the main cast... in their early twenties? Mid-twenties? *shrug* 
> 
> The true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing - Issac Asimov

* * *

 

Gladion gracelessly slumped into his desk chair, finally glad to be done with work for the day. He spun from side to side casually as he loosened his tie. His whole day had nearly been swallowed by fundraising negotiations, and he was determined to spend the rest of the evening comfortable and, most importantly, _alone_. Silvally came to greet him from out behind the couch he had set up in his office.

His office was unconventional in that behind the initial formal appearance of the front of the room, which contained the usual work-desk and small library of legal volumes, the back of the room was entirely made up into a casual den space. The back wall was barely a wall at all, and instead just a large pane of glass that overlooked the sea. He had a pit of beanbag chairs in-between an ocean-facing couch and a loveseat, and a mini-bar along the wall with a full mixing station for both alcohol and gourmet coffee alike. He loved his work at Aether, but there was no way he could spend every waking moment being a corporate marionette. He needed someplace to relax.

Gladion swiveled his chair to meet Silvally, who upon reaching him, immediately put his front legs into Gladion’s lap and bowed his head down for scratches. He was happy to oblige. He started to rub the chimeric pokemon down enthusiastically, but froze when he saw something out of the ordinary stuck to Silvally’s horn. Without hesitation, he grabbed the anomaly, which turned out to be a yellow sticky note. It was covered in a cramped, hasty scrawl that he recognized immediately.

Moon was here. In his office. She put a sticky note _on_ _his pokemon_ , instead of simply leaving a message with one of his aides.

He sighed, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It was so very _her._

Silvally jumped off of Gladion’s lap, and returned to his spot in the den. Gladion swiveled back to the desk and turned on his reading lamp.

The note read, “Hey Gladion, I have a surprise for you~! But you’ll need to find me first!” Gladion shook his head in exasperation. As if he would ever actually get a chance to relax. He felt his day slipping away already. “Your first clue is this: Remember that book I borrowed from you a few weeks ago? Well, I returned it! Good luck!”

Gladion looked over at his bookshelves. There were four bookcases total, two on each side of the room, and each case had five shelves filled to the brim with books. He couldn’t even remember which one it was that Moon wanted to borrow, he simply agreed without hesitation when she asked.

He _did_ remember the conversation that preceded it, though.

Gladion stood up from his desk, and walked over to the shelves. He traced his hands along the spines of some old law reference books as he paced back and forth along the bookcases. That night, Moon was saying that she wished she could understand Morse Code, because she often noticed ships signaling the Paradise from Gladion’s window. And he mentioned that he had a few books about it in his collection. They used to be his dad’s. The old man loved maritime culture.

But Gladion still didn’t know where those books _were_ exactly.

He looked over in Silvally’s direction, and said, “Hey buddy, you could at least help me find this book. It’s been a long day.”

Silvally’s head lazily peaked out from over the back of the couch. He looked at Gladion, huffed, and flopped back down out of sight.

_Thanks a lot, pal._

But it turns out he didn’t need to worry. In an act of mercy, Moon left the book slightly sticking out from the others, and it was immediately apparent when he walked by the right bookcase. He took the book out from its spot on the shelf, and opened up the front cover. It smelled like vanilla. The next clue was exactly where he expected it to be; another sticky note was stuck to the inside of the front cover. He peeled it off triumphantly, and put the book back on the shelf. He walked back over to his desk and leaned into the light to get a better look at the cramped scrawl.

“Congrats! You’ve kept your edge, Mr. President! I told Silvally not to help you, so I’m assuming you found this on your own. Here’s your next clue: It’s in the crown jewel of the Aether Paradise, and in my favorite place to read outside of your office. Good luck!”

This one was a lot less straightforward than the last. Was “crown jewel” implying an actual upper-floor location, or just somewhere really important to the Paradise? It sure as hell wasn’t outside or on the lower-floor docks, because the ocean spray was unavoidable. And she mentioned it was also her favorite place to read, other than his office. But most of the time, when she came to see him, they spent time in his office exclusively.

But what about when she came to see him, and he was busy? He decided to call Wicke. She’d know.

He picked up his desk phone and dialed her extension. If she was still in her office, she’d answer.

The phone rang twice, and then static crackled, and he heard the relieving sound of Wicke’s voice on the other end. “Gladion, you’re calling me awful late in the day. We just saw each other at the meeting, what’s the matter?”

“Do you know where Moon goes when we’re not around to let her into my office?”

“Um,” she trailed off, and Gladion leaned on his desk, impatient. “I believe she goes to the conservatory. She’s mentioned to me a few times that her pokemon love it there.”

Gladion felt like an idiot. The crown jewel of the Paradise. Duh. The reason why they call it a ‘paradise’ in the first place: the Conservatory and Rehabilitation Center.

He nodded to himself, and said, “Thanks. I’m headed there right now.”

Before he could hang up, Wicke exclaimed, “Hey wait! What’s this all about? Is Moon okay? She came in earlier, and I let her into your office as per the usual arrangement. Did something happen?”

Gladion straightened back up, ready to be done with the conversation and on his way to finding Moon so he could ask her exactly that. “She left a bunch of sticky notes here with clues… it’s really frustrating, actually. She said she has a surprise for me, but I need to find her first. I’m so tired, Wicke.”

On the other end, Wicke laughed. And Gladion drew his brows together, offended. “What’s so funny?” he demanded.

“This is a terrible cliché, Glad. I’m happy for you.”

“Happy for what? I’m so lost right now.”

“This is like that thing in romance novels, where a character leads another to a date via notes. It’s really sweet. Oh! You should get her flowers! Wait just a moment, I’m ordering them for you right now.”

Gladion stumbled closer to his desk and helplessly put his arm out, as though he could stop her through the phone. “Wicke! Don’t do that, I’m sure that’s not what’s happening here. Moon’s just being Moon.”

There was silence for a moment, and Gladion swore he could hear the faint sound of typing on the other end. Tension thickened the air around him. This was absolutely not what he was expecting today. He just wanted to unwind. This was the _exact opposite_ of unwinding. If Moon really intended this as some long, drawn-out build-up to a confession, then he’d… well, he didn’t know what he’d do.

He’d get to that when - _if,_ he ammended- he had to.

“Done!” Wicke said, cheerfully.

“You didn’t.”

“I did. They’ll be here within forty minutes. Make sure you greet the florist at the entrance; they’re an important contact of mine.”

Gladion sighed, but thanked Wicke nonetheless. If nothing else, he’d have a nice bouquet of flowers he could put in his office. He ended the call, and was determined to not let this get to him. He and Moon were just friends. Have been, for nearly a decade. If something were going to happen between them, it would’ve happened ages ago.

At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

Gladion whistled for Silvally, and the pokemon stood up and shook himself off before coming to Gladion’s side. The pokemon yawned widely, his tongue curling with the motion. Gladion couldn’t help it; he scratched Silvally all over and gave him an affectionate head-bump.

After he was satisfied that Silvally got the affection he deserved, he straightened back up, ready to uncover the next clue. Hopefully before the florist showed up.

 

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

 

Gladion grabbed his keys from off his desk and clicked his lamp off. He doubted he would be coming back here again tonight. He had no idea how many sticky notes were left for him, or where they would take him.

This was just par for the course, though. Always leave it to Moon to drag him along on an adventure.

He eyed his suit jacket dubiously. It was still too hot to wear it outside of the Paradise, and if she were sending him as far as he expected to go, he wouldn’t want to carry it around all night. He left it draped over the back of his office chair.

He took one last look at the open sea behind his office and sighed. Why couldn’t she simply leave him a voicemail like everyone else? He left the office, with Silvally following close behind. He locked up the door, and shoved his keys into his pocket.

It’s not like he was actually upset about being pulled along on another adventure. It’s been a while since he’s done something non-Aether related. This was probably some plot that Moon and Hau cooked up together to get him out of the house. And honestly, he was already enjoying the excuse to get away from his office. It just reminded him of all the work he still had to do. He was already determined to spend the rest of his night not worrying about work, so this little trail of notes was the perfect opportunity to keep him from overdoing it.

He and Silvally took the elevator to the conservatory, and Gladion tried to straighten up his outfit all the while. He re-tucked his shirt, and re-tied his hair. There was no helping his unruly bangs, but he wouldn’t have them any other way.

He didn’t want to risk letting an investor see him looking less than business-casual.

The two stepped off the elevator and immediately into the sweet-smelling artificial forest. Since becoming head of the Foundation, Gladion made sure the conservatory was given a proper yearly stipend that allowed for major improvements. It was his pride and joy, and it was the only thing that kept him invested in the beginning, when the corruption in Aether was enough to make him want to burn the whole company down and start fresh.

He and Silvally casually walked the paths, both old and new. Employees waved his way, and he awkwardly waved back. He still felt self-conscious about his appearance. His tie was still a disaster, and he had no real energy to put any more effort into straightening up than he already had.

When did he start caring so much about what other people thought about him? ‘ _It’s good for the company image_ ’ was never enough of a personal motivator. So when did it start?

He thought back to when he first left home, and was finally allowed to wear whatever the hell he wanted, and not just what his mother dictated. That’s when he met Moon, and learned that there were things more important to him than getting petty vengeance on Lusamine. As he spent more time alongside Moon and Hau, he began to want to _fix_ his family, not just escape from it. Over the years, he started feeling that for Aether, too. And while he wouldn’t entirely conform to business standards, his office being a chief example of that, he definitely wanted to do best by Aether and the Paradise.

Was that it? Pride in his work? Pride in all of the progress he’s made over the years?

Lost in thought, he and Silvally stopped in a little wooden gazebo on the outskirts of the conservatory. These quiet little places were added only a few years into Gladion’s takeover. He wanted more areas where people could observe the pokemon from a comfortable location, and the upper paths just weren’t cutting it.

The gazebo was just feet away from the large glass windows that overlooked the ocean. It was stunning. He could feel his stress melting away. There were white-painted benches clustered together underneath each of the few scattered gazebos around the conservatory, and all of them were amazing break spots, but these offered the most relaxing view by far. Lanterns hung from the rafters, offering a soft light that would be just perfect for reading.

And with that, he remembered why he was here.

Moon’s clue.

He crossed his arms sharply and walked over to the benches, annoyed and vaguely embarrassed that he’d gotten so sidetracked. As luck would have it, there was indeed another yellow sticky note stuck to the back panel of the bench, and he ripped it off with little fanfare.

The note read, “It’s a lovely spot, isn’t it? I always come down here when you’re busy. The pokemon love it, too. You did good, Mr.President. On another note ( _Hee hee! Get it?_ ), do you remember when you used to come over to my place when we were kids, and we’d always find something stupid to do? It’s been a while, right? So here’s your chance to relive it! Good luck!”

Another note. This one was a pretty far trip. He’d need to take a boat. _And_ he’d have to explain to Moon’s mother why he needed to search her house.

Gladion chuckled, and Silvally looked up at him with questioning eyes. He flashed Silvally the note, and said, “I really can’t even be mad.”

But then he remembered Wicke’s interference, and sighed.

“Wait. Yes I can. The florist.”

He looked at his watch, and shoved the note into his pocket. There was still enough time to get to the entrance in time to intercept them. Maybe he could convince the florist to just send the flowers to Wicke’s office, and bypass him entirely. Let’s see how she likes being meddled with.

Gladion and Silvally left the conservatory, and took the elevator down to the entrance. The receptionists greeted him with a smile, but he barely noticed. He hoped more than anything that the florist wouldn’t come, and he wouldn’t have to give those flowers to Moon when he finally caught up to her. Not only because Wicke went out of her way to try and do something nice for them, but because he realized… he kind of wanted to.

He actually _wanted_ to.

And that was a dangerous, unfamiliar feeling.

But fate was never kind to him. The florist stood just within the lobby, wearing an unmistakable green apron and carrying a delivery crate. He was talking with someone on the phone, but hung up immediately when Gladion met his eyes across the lobby.

Gladion sighed and steeled himself for the coming interaction that he just _felt_ would be obnoxious.

The florist reached Gladion in a few swift strides, and instead of holding out his hand in greeting like Gladion expected, he reached into the crate and thrust a bouquet into Gladion’s arms before he could say a word. The florist noticed Silvally sitting back on his haunches next to Gladion, and gave the pokemon a wide-eyed look for only a moment before checking his watch and clapping Gladion on the shoulder.

“President Gladion, I presume?” he said, warily keeping Silvally within his sight at all times. Before Gladion could respond in the affirmative, the florist continued, “The situation was explained fully; the daffodils are for ‘new beginnings’, and the little arbutus… well.” He gave Gladion a knowing look. Gladion did absolutely not know. “The rest is filler. Good luck, sir. Now go to your woman, because these beauties need water, and I need to leave.”

The man saluted him, spun on his heel, and began walking away.

Gladion wanted to say something like, ‘ _She’s not my woman_ ’, or ‘ _I don’t even know where she is_ ’, but what he yelled after him was, “I don’t even know where my woman is!”

_Obnoxious. Mortifying._

Exactly what he expected.

The florist turned to him for a moment and winked, before the elevator dipped out of view. The receptionists giggled, and Gladion prayed for another wormhole to just open up underneath him and swallow him whole.

Silvally looked over at him, his head cocked, obviously confused.

He was too, honestly. Today was just a mess.

But even though he just embarrassed himself in front of his own employees, and one of Wicke’s friends, he felt oddly… vindicated.

It was terrifying. And Liberating.

The more he thought about it, the more he wished things _were_ happening the way Wicke speculated. It was no secret that Moon meant the world to him. And has, for so many years. Once he realized that he didn’t simply want to surpass her, but wanted to grow alongside her, she became irreplaceable to him. But he'd never even _considered_...

A bubbly feeling was beginning to build up deep within his chest, threatening to escape. It was unfamiliar to him, but he wasn’t so sheltered that he couldn’t recognize it.

He felt like he actually _was_ in a cheesy romance novel.

And even if it turned out that this wasn’t a romance novel situation, and Moon never intended to confess to him, he was already too far in to have any kind of plausible deniability.

He’d bring her the flowers, even if it wasn’t originally his idea to begin with.

And if she took that as a romantic gesture, well, he wasn’t going to correct her.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around, guys! The hurricane threw off my posting schedule, but I'm going to try and update at least once a week from now on.  
> Also, I'm gonna be real honest: I estimated three chapters, but it's really more like five. RIP me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think that Gladion has a lot of deep-seated issues with anxiety and self-doubt, thanks to his less than stellar upbringing. But it doesn't really affect him beyond the surface level unless it involves someone else's opinion, like Lillie's or Moon's.

* * *

 

The primly wrapped bouquet of flowers now in hand, Gladion headed down to the docks to arrange his ride to Melemele Island. It wasn’t difficult, he just had to let one of his captains know he’d be getting on the next outbound boat headed that way.

Gladion prided himself on the frequency of the ships that came and went through the Paradise. He had so many researchers and activists coming through his facilities every day that he completely overhauled the scheduling, and bought several new ferry liners for the express purpose of delivering Aether employees. Every year he made little changes to the schedules as needed, keeping up with storm seasons and Pokemon migration patterns.

He wasn’t just a decorative figurehead of the company. He really did put a lot of time and love into Aether. Was it any wonder that he’d never really spent much time working on his personal life?

But that was what worried him. Maybe it was too late. He and Moon had so much history, and not all of it good. Even if she really wanted to start a relationship with him, what if he wasn’t capable? 

He wasn’t even positive that he was capable of being a good friend and brother, if he were being honest.

_And_ he wasn’t even sure that romance was Moon’s intention to begin with.

It was a good thing that Moon had him stopping by her mother’s house. Gladion needed to talk to someone desperately. His newfound realization that he might not hate the idea of being with Moon left his nerves frayed.

He tried to play it cool like he usually did in unfamiliar situations, but his brain just wasn't having it today. Once the initial annoyance at changing his plans for the night wore off, he was left with actual emotions to deal with. It was starting to get to him.

When the ship to Hau’oli City finally arrived, Gladion recalled Silvally into his pokeball and boarded with little fanfare, though it was obvious that many of the passengers who were disembarking recognized him and wanted to say something to him. Mercifully, they always stopped themselves when they saw the flowers.

The ship took off for Melemele, and he made it to the island without any disruptions. When he left the port, he detoured to the shopping district before heading to Moon’s house. If he were going to have a serious conversation with Moon’s mother, the least he could do is bring her a gift for her trouble. But what?

_You could always dump the flowers on her and be done with it_ , a traitorous voice whispered in his head. _Then you wouldn’t have to deal with Moon rejecting you._

He reassured himself that it was Moon herself who set up this potentially romantic adventure. But the anxiety was still there.

Ignoring it, he thought back to his time at Moon’s house when they were younger, hoping for gift inspiration.

And he found it.

Whenever he came over, at least once every visit, Moon’s mother made them all iced milk tea. She adored it, and hoped to instill the taste in them. She always put thick coffee jellies at the bottom, and like she planned, Gladion ended up falling in love with it. Moon never caught on to it, more’s the pity.

So he stopped by a small grocery store, coffee jelly on his mind. His flowers were attracting the attention of shoppers, who waited to see if he was there to give them to one of the employees. They disappointedly went on with their shopping when they realized he was just legitimately there for jelly.

The walk to Moon’s house was blessedly quiet, the only sounds being the ocean waves beyond Route 1, and the wind blowing through the trees. It had been a while since Gladion experienced the earthy outdoors without the accompanying smell of sanitized linoleum.

How long had it been since he walked these roads? A few years, presumably. Since Moon moved out of her mother’s house when she turned twenty they stopped meeting here, and instead met at Moon’s new apartment on Ula’ula. Gladion kind of missed it. He _really_ missed being able to ask Moon’s mother for advice. She was the only non-Aether affiliated adult in his life for many years, and he deeply appreciated everything she had to say.

That’s why he wanted to get her opinion on his current predicament.

He came up to Moon’s house with renewed purpose, and knocked on the door with the hand carrying the bag of jellies. He fought the urge not to shuffle awkwardly, or knock again. When Moon’s mother finally answered the door, he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.

“Gladion, honey! How are you?” she moved to pull him into a hug, but stopped halfway when she noticed the flowers in his arms. She smiled knowingly, and ushered him inside. “Ah, Moon told me you’d be coming when she stopped by earlier. Whatever she left for you is in her room.”

“Thanks. These are for you,” He held out the bag from the grocery store, and she accepted her gift, visibly excited. “I don’t know if you still make tea the way you used to, but I thought you might like these.”

She opened the bag, and when she saw what was inside, she pressed her hand into her chest, touched. “Oh, this is great. Thank you so much, darling!”

She walked into the kitchen and put the jellies down on the counter. Gladion followed, amused. She was already filling a tea kettle and getting out all the necessary ingredients for her milk tea.

“It’s been a while since I’ve made any. You’ll have some, won’t you, dear?”

Gladion nodded, eyes distractedly shifting to the door of Moon’s room.

Moon’s mother caught him looking. “You need me to take those?” she pointed at the flowers. “I can put them in water for you while you go look.”

“Thanks.”

He gratefully handed the flowers over and made his way to Moon’s room, both arms finally free for the first time in nearly an hour. He shook out his hands, and took the opportunity to stretch his arms upwards as far as his tailored shirt would allow.

The room was exactly as Moon left it. The same furniture, the same bedsheets, the same stuffed pokemon and game consoles. A nostalgic ache gripped him the second he walked in, and he was tempted to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere. But it was getting late, and he still wanted to talk to Moon’s mother about his situation.

Luckily, Moon left the next note where he could see it, stuck directly to her TV screen. He peeled it off with a slow reverence.

The note read, in the most cramped scrawl yet, “Remember when we’d stay up all night playing video games?” He did, and he also remembered getting frustrated when she’d beat him nearly every single time they played anything competitive. It always made him feel inadequate, and helped to fuel their rivalry outside the game. He was an idiot. Those were some of the best times of his life. “I’m always up for a rematch, and I know you know it. Your next note I left in a place you might rather forget; a place I know you have mixed feelings about. ~~Sorry.~~ The first time we fought there, you and Null looked spectacular in the ring. Even The Royal couldn’t hold a candle to the feeling you put into the fight that day.” At the bottom of the note was the usual sign-off; “Good luck!”.

At ‘in the ring’, Gladion knew immediately where he needed to be. The Battle Royal Dome. Now he knew why she said he’d probably rather forget: he was in a pretty dark place most of the times he went to battle there. It was his go-to for serious stress relief. The habit continued into his adult life, and he ended up somewhat of a minor celebrity in the Royal circuit. So was Moon, whenever she joined. And whenever they fought in the same match, the crowd lost their minds. The Champion of Alola and the Aether Foundation President at once? Amazing. A Clash for the Ages, the announcers would say. _Every single time._ It was sort of a running joke between him and Moon now.

He added the new note to the collection building in his pocket, and left the room. Moon’s mother was placing two glasses of iced milk tea on the dining table, and Gladion gratefully sat down in one of the chairs. Moon’s mother sat across from him, arms crossed in front of her while she waited for her tea to chill.

He needed to talk to her about this whole ridiculous day. But the more he thought about it, the less confident he felt about bringing up a potential romance with Moon directly to her own mother. He could feel all the words he wanted to say build up in the back of his throat, but he washed them down with a sip of cold tea.

Could she feel his nervousness? The longer he sat there, the worse it got. He could practically hear his blood rushing through his head.

“Are you doing okay, dear?”

He took a steadying breath. It’s been a while since anyone’s asked him that.

He swirled his tea around in the glass, and looked anywhere but up at her. He knew he’d see motherly concern there, and he knew if he saw it directed at him, he’d probably cry. Even after 26 years of life, he still had no idea how to respond to other people's concern for him. It frustrated him more than he cared to admit. He took another sip of his tea. It was exactly like he’d remembered.

He finally broke through his own tension and asked, “Do you happen to know why Moon’s been leading me around like this?”

“I have no idea. She was just in and out earlier, and told me you’d be coming by. I didn’t ask what she was up to.”

“Ah.” Disappointment. He tried not to let it show on his face. “That’s alright. Well, the deal is, she’s been leading me from place to place via sticky notes.” He took his collection out of his pocket and put them on the table between them. “I don’t know why _exactly_ , but she’s definitely leading me somewhere for some unknown purpose. I… might have an idea or two.”

He trailed off. He looked over at his flowers, which were now sitting in a pitcher of water, wrapping and all. They really were lovely. Moon’s mother casually glanced at the notes, then noticed him looking at the flowers. She laughed.

Startled, his eyes snapped to her.

“What are you so worried about?” she asked, taking a sip of her tea. “You look like you’re about to walk into a funeral.”

Gladion sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his bangs. He was just going to come out and say it. What was the worst that could happen? Even if she made fun of him, what did he have to lose?

“When we were younger, did you ever think that Moon and I would get together?”

Without hesitation she said, “Oh definitely.”

“But-” Gladion sputtered, entirely not expecting that answer, “But I’m - I fought her as a rival. I’ve taken advantage of her position as Champion in order to train myself, just because _I_ wanted to be stronger. I used her to save my mother when we were just kids, and I had _no idea_ how dangerous it would be. When I took over Aether, I used her status to gain publicity at charity events. I was selfish. I was awful to her.”

“But you’re not that man now, are you?” she calmly asked, sipping her tea.

“Of course not,” he said, his voice raw with emotion, “She’s my best friend.”

“I don’t think you were ever that awful person you think you were, dear. You care about people too strongly, and don’t try to deny it, it’s obvious. Why do you want to come off as a villain?”

“Because,” he swallowed thickly, and looked over at the flowers again. An unattainable goal in a game he didn’t know he was playing until just this afternoon. “It has to be too late, right? There has to be a reason. If we were going to… _pursue a relationship_ , it would’ve happened when we were teenagers. Right? It’s been so many years. She’s probably never even considered it.”

“You were both very unusually busy teenagers. Did you consider that?”

“What?”

“Moon used to tell me all the time that she was too busy with the League for romance. At least, that’s what she told me when I tried to set her up with Ilima.”

“You tried to set her up with _Ilima_?”

“I figured she had to have some kind of outside intervention, since _somebody_ was too busy with his multi-million dollar corporation to notice she was lonely.”

He did feel kind of guilty about that. But he knew that he wouldn’t change a thing if offered the chance. Throwing himself into his work was the only way to get Aether back on its feet. And he was sure that Moon would understand why he put so much of himself into the Foundation. But he did wish that he’d paid more attention to how Moon was feeling, instead of always assuming she had things under control.

When was the last time anyone asked if _she_ was okay?

The idea that maybe they were both too busy to consider a relationship in the past appealed to him. Maybe this was new for Moon, too. Maybe this was an opportunity to do better. 

“Well, I’m noticing now.”

She smiled, but her eyes were serious. “I always worry about you, Gladion. And Moon too, of course. I really want you both to be happy. I had nothing to do with this sticky note situation, but I’m really glad it’s happening.”

“Then,” he carefully asks, “you have no objections? If Moon and I-”

“Of course not.” She laughs. “You’re always so serious. Just live your life, dear. No matter how things turn out, I’m rooting for both of you.”

He had to look away. He was starting to tear up, and he was sure she would notice. He wasn’t used to this kind of wholehearted emotional support from someone who wasn’t on his payroll. It tugged at a sore spot he didn’t know was wounded.

He was discovering a lot of things today, it seems.

Moon’s mother got up and handed Gladion his flowers after drying them off with a paper towel. He finished his tea, still too emotional for words. After some time, he got up, re-pocketed his sticky notes, and let Moon’s mother show him to the door.

“Thank you. For everything.” He said, finally breaking the silence.

“And thank you for the jelly.” She laughed, pulling him into a side-hug, careful of the flowers. “Let me know how this all turns out.”

He nodded. “I will. And I’ll tell Moon to come by again soon. For real this time.”

His purpose renewed, he turned back to the road. Soon he’d know why Moon was sending him on this inadvertently soul-searching adventure. 

He was getting close. He could feel it.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, thanks to everyone still reading!  
> Extra special thanks to everyone leaving comments! I haven't had time to respond to them individually, but really, I appreciate them so much. Thank you so much for all your support!


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

 

The journey to Akala was uneventful, to Gladion’s delight. For most of the boat ride to the island, and even on the taxi ride to Royal Avenue, he was lost in thought. He ran every possible scenario of the meeting with Moon through his mind, working through any imagined problems that arose. He always felt better when he had some kind of game plan. People called him a perfectionist, or a control freak, but he preferred the term “prepared”.

When he arrived to Royal Avenue, he tipped his taxi driver generously. Not entirely for his driving skills, but mostly for not asking about the flowers.

The Avenue was just as busy as always, even as the setting sun began to paint the sky orange. Gladion hurried through the streets, not making eye contact with anyone. Especially here in these parts, where he was known for his Battle Royal matches, he was in danger of becoming a spectacle. The last thing he wanted was a picture of him clutching a bouquet of flowers to be featured in the local gossip tabloids.

Hopefully Moon would be someplace at least remotely away from people. He couldn’t imagine trying to have a serious conversation with her in front of drama-seeking onlookers.

He entered the Battle Royal Dome, and was greeted by the familiar high-ceilinged lobby that he’d come to both love and hate. He loved battling and watching matches here, but since he only came here when he was feeling down or stressed out, there was a sort of oppressive aura he associated with it, and he tried not to let it get to him.

He was here for one thing: the note.

The receptionists noticed him from behind their counter, and waved him over. Of the two girls, one of them looked terribly straight-laced, and the other one looked like she was having the time of her life.

“Ah, it’s President Gladion. Good evening.” Said the straight-laced one.

The other girl chimed in, “Are you here to compete?”

“Absolutely not. I’m actually-” The girls noticed the flowers in his arms, and gave each other conspiratorial looks. Gladion cleared his throat and continued, “Did either of you happen to see Champion Moon here earlier today? I’m on a mission, apparently.”

Before he finished speaking, the straight-laced receptionist had already gotten the note out from behind her counter, and held it out to him.

“Here you go, sir. She left this note with us. She wanted to hide it in the back room, but the owner caught her before she went through with it.”

Gladion took the note, noticing that there wasn’t as much text covering this one as the others. Moon’s handwriting flowed a lot neater when she was given enough space to work with.

The other girl giggled. “She seems like a lot of fun; I love her.”

_You and me both_ , The thought came to him unbidden. He looked up at the receptionists, afraid that he’d said it out loud. _Ugh, wait. What am I saying? Where has the old Gladion gone? When did I become so shameless?_

The receptionists didn’t seem to react, though. They were now turned to each other, talking about Moon’s feats in the Dome.

He turned his attention to the note, determined to ignore his intrusive thoughts. The note read,

'Glad, I know you don’t really do Battle Royals for fun, but the fights I’ve had here with you have been some of my favorite.' He felt the corner of his lips pull up into a smirk. He coughed awkwardly, trying to hide it. 'You’ll be happy to know you don’t have to stick around here much longer, because I’m right down the street. Hope you’re in the mood for malasada.'

This was it. She was right down the road. He was so close. He’d finally know why she sent him off on this little adventure. Romance novel ending or no, he would finally have closure. His nerves were killing him.

“Are the flowers for Moon?” the bubbly receptionist asked, breaking him out of his shocked stupor.

“Um, yeah. Something like that.”

The receptionists both smiled widely and simultaneously said, “Good luck!”

“Thanks,” Gladion said, really meaning it. “I’ll need it.”

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update (and on such a short chapter, too, oh my god). It was my birthday this week, so I've been monopolized by friends for days.  
> Get ready for that Big Finale sometime next week!


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

 

Finally.

Finally he was at the end of this trail.

He wondered if she even knew he was still following it. Maybe she’d given up, and already left? Maybe she thought he’d ignored the note entirely. It wouldn’t be unlike him.

He couldn’t really blame her if she realized he wasn’t worth it, and went home. He should’ve called her, texted her, anything. Let her know he was coming for her.

The anxiety followed him all the way to the malasada shop, and even as he stepped through the door, he was sure he would see nothing but empty tables waiting for him.

But then their eyes met across the room, and nothing else in the world mattered. She stood up from her seat immediately, and waved ‘Alola’ at him from behind her table. He lifted a hand up in return.

She looked stunning. She was wearing a light blue sun dress that he’d seen on her a thousand times, but this time felt different. She still wore the thick leather belt that she kept her pokeballs on, but it was cinched around her waist. It was both intimidating and fashionable. Definitely impressive. The sun was setting outside, and the orange light that poured into the shop set her dark hair ablaze. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. He’d been waiting to see her all day, and finally she was right in front of him.

“Wow, brother. Can’t even be troubled to say hi.”

That voice. Laughter rang around the room, and Gladion’s mind went blank. Moon wasn’t alone. Lillie was at Moon’s booth, twisted around in her seat to look at him.

Hau was there too, beside Moon. He noticed the flowers and gave Gladion a knowing wink. He’d never wanted to strangle someone more.

This was the surprise.

Lillie was back in town.

Lillie had been traveling from region to region over the years, challenging every League she could. In-between each win, she’d come home to celebrate with her friends, and spend a few months in Alola. She hadn’t told him she’d be coming back so soon. This was an amazing surprise, and he was really excited to see her again, but…

The notes. All day. It wasn’t like a romance novel at all. It was just Moon being Moon.

Shame and embarrassment creeped up his neck, and he suddenly felt desperately self-conscious.

_What do I do with the flowers?_

“Hey Glad, are you all right?” Lillie said, worry creasing her brows. Gladion was still too stunned to say a word. Lillie looked between him and Moon, and then to Hau, and a look of realization crossed her face. She turned back to Gladion. “You and Moon need to have a conversation, I think.”

Mortifying.

There was no doubt in his mind that Lillie noticed his mistake. There would be no playing it off like the flowers were for her.

“Yeah,” Gladion said, annoyance accidentally slipping into his tone. “I think.”

Moon looked like she realized something important, and she tripped slightly getting out of the booth in her haste. She laughed it off, and Hau gave her a serious look. Moon cleared her throat and came up to Gladion with purpose, and took him by the elbow to lead him out of the shop.

As they left, Gladion heard Lillie and Hau stage-whispering behind them.

“What are the odds that they won’t do something incredibly stupid?” Hau said, his words sounding slightly muffled.

Lillie sighed and said, “Knowing my brother, incredibly low.”

 

* * *

 

The streetlights flickered on above them as they made their way to the park in awkward silence. The people who walked the streets earlier were gone, and he was thankful for it. The temperature was falling, and Gladion absently wondered if Moon was cold in that dress. He should’ve kept his suit jacket.

Eventually, they stopped in front of the flower garden. They overlooked the gardens in silence, and Gladion was hard-pressed to think of a way to talk his way out of this one. He’d considered this possibility, of course, but he wasn’t ready for how disappointed he felt that Moon didn’t intend to confess to him. 

Hopefully she didn’t realize that he thought the notes meant more than they had. Hopefully, she was just upset that he didn’t seem to be surprised by the plan she put together. Maybe nothing had to change between them, and they could go back to the easy friendship they’ve had for years.

“Were those for me?” She pointed to the flowers, finally breaking the silence.

_Shit. Shit shit shit. She absolutely knew._

“Yeah,” he said, faking nonchalance. “I didn’t know what the surprise could’ve been, so I thought to cover my bases with a-” he cleared his throat, the lie heavy on his tongue, “-a thank-you gift.” He hastily added, “Wicke recommended it.”

“Oh good,” she let out a heavy sigh, “I thought that maybe-” she looked away nervously, and fidgeted with the pokeballs around her waist.

“That what?” Frustration was beginning to prickle on his scalp, and he tried his best to ignore it. “That I’d gotten the wrong idea?”

Moon opened her mouth to say something, but Gladion waved her away, all pretense of nonchalance gone. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m _very_ aware of where I stand here.”

He was sure he was saying too much, but emotions of all sorts were mixing together and bubbling up out of him without his consent.

When he woke up this morning, he wasn’t feeling like this. Like he had such complicated, unresolved feelings for someone he’d been friends with for over a decade. But throughout the day, visiting all these places that were important to the both of them made him realize: He couldn’t imagine his life without her. He wanted to believe that he could be content with just having her beside him as a friend, like always. But his emotions were just not on board with his brain tonight.

“Gladion, you’re obviously very upset. What happened?” Moon asked gently. “You can tell me anything, you know. Is this about me not telling you about Lillie?”

Guilt washed over him, and he ran a hand through his hair, tearing out his hair band in the process. He let it fall.

“It’s not like that. I do appreciate what you tried to do here. I just thought this was something el-”

“So you did get the wrong idea!”

“And so what if I did?” he snapped, stepping away from her. The flowers were heavy in his arms, and he threw them to the ground between them. He was tired of seeing them. “It’s your fault for doing this the way you did. What was I supposed to think?”

Moon’s eyebrow quirked up, and she took in the flowers between them impassively. She looked infinitely more calm than he felt, and it pissed him off.

“So I’m taking it that those weren’t just a thank-you gift, then?” She prodded, searching his face for a reaction.

Gladion just pulled Silvally’s pokeball from his belt and raised it up in challenge. He couldn’t trust himself to speak right now. He would let out his frustration the easiest way he knew how: a pokemon battle.

Moon jumped back, to put more space between them, and Gladion swore he saw a smirk tug at her lips. He untied his tie completely, and let it hang loose over his shoulders. He’d wipe that look off her face soon enough.

“Your face is easy to read, you know.” She called out to him, raising her own pokeball in the air to signal that she was ready.

They both sent out their pokemon in perfect unison. Silvally leaped out of his pokeball, ready to fight. Moon’s Decidueye fluttered down to land on the ground with no small degree of grace for a pokemon so large.

When Silvally saw who he was fighting, he turned back to Gladion, confused. Decidueye took that opportunity to lunge at the chimera, and Moon barked out orders without missing a beat. Decidueye grabbed onto Silvally’s back with his talons, and threw him aside.

“Explain the flowers.” Moon shouted at Gladion. “Stop being so conservative and tell me what’s going on.”

Silvally skid on his side across the hard brick, and he dug his claws hard into the concrete mortar in order to right himself. Immediately upon standing up, Silvally lunged at Decidueye, too quickly for Decidueye to dodge.

“Wicke told me to bring them, I wasn’t lying about that. I thought it was a bad idea. And I was right.”

Silvally dug his claws into Decidueye’s soft feathers, causing the owlish pokemon to stagger backwards.

“But why flowers in the first place?”

Decidueye lost his balance, and was successfully knocked backwards, taking Silvally with him.

“Because,” Gladion snapped, “This was supposed to be a date!”

Silvally pinned Decidueye to the ground, his horn pressing gently into the pokemon’s neck, waiting for Decidueye to tap out.

All was silent, save for the heavy breathing from the two pokemon locked in combat. Eventually, Moon recalled Decidueye into his pokeball, and Silvally shook himself off and struck Gladion a proud pose.

Gladion couldn’t share Silvally’s enthusiasm, as much as he wanted to. He didn’t feel like he won at all. Moon walked Gladion’s way, stopping to give Silvally a congratulatory pat before continuing on.

“You really thought I called you here on a date?” She asked incredulously, not looking him in the eyes. “And you actually brought me flowers?”

“Well sorry I got the wrong idea.” He sighed, the heat finally leaving him. “You have to admit, your method was really romance novel-y.”

“And you were just going to go along with it?”

Gladion inhaled sharply, caught in his own excuse.

“I think I was the one with the wrong idea, then.” She said, fixing Decidueye’s pokeball back onto her belt. “I thought we were rivals.”

“Hell no.” She raised an eyebrow up at him, and he caught and held her gaze, ready to explain. There wasn’t much left to lose now. “We might have started out that way, but you’ve become so much more to me over these past few years. And don’t take that the wrong way. I mean, unless you want to.”

Moon laughed, and the stress and worry that had been building up in him over the course of the day was slowly draining away.

“I really messed up today,” he admitted, all his hesitance at talking this through like adults finally gone. “I seriously thought this was a romance novel situation. That you were sending me around to lead me to someplace special to, and this sounds stupid when I say it out loud, to finally tell me that you always loved me. Or something.”

Moon laughed again, and Gladion huffed. “This isn’t funny! I’ve been thinking this all day.”

“I didn’t mean to lead you on.” Moon said quietly, a soft smile pulling at her lips. Gladion sighed, fully accepting that she didn’t feel the same way. “I just wanted Lillie to be a surprise, I didn’t think I’d be getting a confession from you today.”

Gladion held up his hands in defense, “Wait, I didn’t say-”

“I’m not opposed, you know,” she rambled on, again avoiding his eyes, “to this being a romance novel situation. I mean, the pokemon battle is a little unconventional, but we’re not exactly conventional people to begin with.”

“Wait, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” she cleared her throat. “That I had no idea that you’d be on board. With dating. Like, at all. So it never even crossed my mind that you’d even consider the sticky notes something romantic.”

He didn’t, at first. But he wasn’t about to tell her that. If she was on board, too, then-

She continued, “So yeah, I’m going to take what you said the wrong way. Because you’ve become really important to me too, Glad. You always have been, honestly. I’d actually given up on you once already. You didn’t seem interested.”

Guilt and relief both coursed through his body. This was absolutely not what he expected out of tonight. “I’m sorry. I never realized. I was so preoccupied with the Foundation, I didn’t even consider… but I’m considering now. So hey,” he took a deep breath, and gathered up all his courage. “Do you want to do this the right way?”

“The right way?” she asked, sarcastically. “You mean, without all the anger and accusation?”

“Yeah,” he rolled his eyes. Something bumped him hard in the back of the thigh, and he turned around. Silvally was there, with the bouquet of flowers in his mouth. Gladion had to suppress a bark of laughter. He took the damaged bouquet with reverence, and turned back to Moon. He held out the bouquet to her. “I want to try dating you, if you’ll give me a chance. No one knows me the way you do, Moon. No one’s been there for me the way you have, and I want to be that for you, too. I want to be better.”

Moon took the bouquet, and her fingers brushed his. He couldn’t suppress the smile that overtook his face.

“Alright, that was the sappiest thing I’ve ever witnessed.” She laughed and held the flowers tightly to her chest.

“Sappier than a trail of sticky notes?”

“Definitely.”

“So, your answer? You can’t leave me hanging like this, as much as I know you’re enjoying it.”

“You already know my answer.” Moon opened her free arm to him, inviting him over. He closed the space in-between them and wrapped his arms around her, mindful of the flowers. “Of course I’ll date you. Idiot.”

She was incredibly warm, and Gladion realized this might be the first time he’s held her this close. It was a crime. He’d just have to do it more often from now on.

“Today was a mess.” He mumbled into her hair, “I really wasn’t expecting this when I woke up this morning.”

“Neither was I. Surprises all around.”

“I really am an idiot, aren’t I?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Laughed a voice from behind them. Hau.

Moon and Gladion stepped apart, embarrassed.

Lillie was standing next to Hau, her face pink. She nodded sagely and agreed, “An idiot.”

“How long have you been watching, you voyeur?” Gladion accused Hau. “And to get my own sister involved. Disgusting.”

Hau raised his hands defensively. “Hey, she was the one that wanted to check on you guys!”

“Lillie!” Moon flung herself at Lillie, and put her arms around her. “I’m so sorry your own brother wasn’t excited to see you.” Lillie laughed, and gave Moon a squeeze.

“That’s not true.” Gladion sighed, “I was just… preoccupied.”

“Oh we know you were.” Said Hau, suggestively waggling his eyebrows. Gladion threw some rude gestures Hau’s way in response.

“Well, you can make it up to me over malasada?” Lillie asked, softly.

“Seconded! You owe us all one, Glad.” Hau clapped Gladion on the shoulder, and Gladion sighed with extra emphasis.

“I’m not complaining.” Moon chimed in, grinning.

Gladion couldn’t say no to that.

They all returned to the shop together, and Gladion was grilled all night about his misunderstanding, and his sudden relationship upgrade. Under any other circumstance, he would’ve been annoyed. But tonight, he got his romance novel ending.

It didn’t go quite the way he expected, but then again, when did _anything_ when Moon was involved?

This was just one adventure of many.

And he was sure it wouldn’t be their last.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally posted in its entirety!   
> A little background for this piece: I wrote it all in one sitting one night as a practice piece, and I'd never intended to post it. But I got so much good feedback from you guys that I knew I had to go ahead and properly post it. I'm so grateful for everyone that's commented and stuck around throughout the original posting. You guys rock!   
> Seriously, thank you guys so much!
> 
> I have another Gladion/Moon piece in the works, a stupid-long slow burn whose inspiration came from the thought "romance is better with tournament arcs", so keep on the lookout if that sounds like something you guys are interested in! 
> 
> Again, thank you guys so much for all of your support! I had a lot of fun writing this piece, and I hope you guys had fun reading it!


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